Wrench



A. McDONALDL WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. [8, 1921.

1,417,75 Patented May30, 1922.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WRENCH.

Application filed November 18, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR MCDONALD, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, in the Dominion of Canada, have invented new and useful WVrenches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in adjustable wrenches designed tofacilitate the adjustment of the wrench to any particular size of nut or bolt head and to strongly secure the movable jaw of the wrench in that position of adjustment.

The invention is particularly described in the following specification, reference being made to the drawings by which it is accompanied, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the wrench with a part removed, the full lines showing the wrench in its normal open position and the dot and dash lines as applied to hold the nut.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the adjustable end of the wrench,

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4; is an elevation of the gripping end of the wrench.

In these drawings 2 represents the fixed jaw member from which projects a handle 3 integral with it. This jaw and handle member are preferably made in two parts lengthwise jointed along the mid-thickness and secured together by screws or rivets. Adjacent the junction of the jaw 2 to the handle 3 the two halves are recessed from the joint face to form a slot 4: adapted to receive the shank portion 5 of the adjustable jaw 6.

One face of this shank 5 is lengthwise grooved to fit a corresponding ridge 7 in the slot recess of one of the parts of the fixed jaw member, and the back edge of the shank 5 is provided with ratchet teeth 8, the abutments of which are adapted to resist outward movement. In a pocket recess 10 of the shank slot 4: is a pawl 9 which is provided with teeth to correspond with those 8 of the shank 5.

The upper end of this pawl 9 is carried on a pin 11 secured between the jaws 12 of a handle lever 13, which is mounted on a pin 14: on the handle 3 and is hollowed along one side to fit over the adjacent edge of that handle. The pin 11 on which the toothed pawl 9 is carried moves in an arcuate slot Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1922.

Serial No. 516,198.

15 in the sides of the handle member 3 and the pins 11 and 14 are so placed in the handle 13 that when this handle is closed against the handle 3, the line joining these pins is substantially normal to the adjacent edge of the shank 5. The are of movement of the pin 11 on which the pawl is mounted is such as will move that pawl from a disengaged position wherein the teeth of the pawl are clear of those of the shank 5 to a position of full engagement with the teeth, while the handle 13 is moved from the position indicated by the full lines in Fig. l to that indicated by the dot and dash lines.

Thus, when the handle 13 is away from the handle 3, the movable jaw 6 may be freely moved from or to the fixed jaw member 2 and when moved to any desired position of adjustment the handle 13 is closed on the handle 3 and that movement moves the teeth ofthe pawl member 9 intolocking engagement with those of the shank 5 and the movable jaw is securely held against movement outward.

It will be noted that the pin 11, by which the pawl 9 is connected to the end 12 of the lever 13, is toward the upper end of the pawl and that the back of the pawl is tapered toward the lower end. Further that the pocket 10 in which the pawl is movable is also tapered toward the lower end to con form approximately to the arc of movement of the pawl in moving to the locked position, so that the pawl 9, when in action, is well backed up against movement directly outward.

Again, immediately adjacent the lower end of the back of the pawl, when in the release position, a slight prominence is formed as at 15 in the back of the pocket 10, which prominence is designed to throw the lower end of the pawl 9 into engagement first and locate effectively the position of engagement: This not only prevents the points of the teeth engaging one another, but ensures engagement of the teeth slightly above the position to which the jaw 6 has been set, whereby a closer grip of the wrench is ensured on the nut or bolt head.

Between the handles 3 and 13 a spring 16 is secured to the handle 13 to normally hold the handles apart and consequently the teeth of the pawl member 9 out of engagement with the teeth 8 of the adjustable jaw member 6.

The jaws 2 and 6 are provided with notches 17 in their faces to enable the wrench to hold a nut across the angles, as shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 1.

It will be noticed that the top of the pawl 9 is fiat and when it is in the released posi-.

tion it lies fiat against the surface 17 of the pocket 10, the surface 17 being in a plane normal to the adjacent edge of the shank 5, thus it the pawl does not disengage from the teeth of the shank, as it drops back to separate, the pawl will be brought out of engagement by the contact between the top surface of the pawl'and the surface 17, thus insuring the effective withdrawal of the teeth of the pawl from the teeth of the shank.

Having now particularly described my invention, I hereby declare that what I claim as new and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is: i

1. An adjustable wrench, comprising in combination, a fixed jaw member having a handle rigid therewith, an adjustable jaw member having a shank endwise movable in a slot formed for it in the rigid member, the edge of which shank further from the jaws has ratchet teeth, the shoulders of which oppose movement ofthe jaws apart, a pawl adapted to engage theteeth of the jaw shank, a lever pin-connected at one end to the pawl and adjacent such connection pivotally connected to the rigid jaw member, said lever adapted to move against the rigid-handle member by which movement the teeth of the pawl are pressed into engagement with those of the jaw shank to retain the movable jaw member in the position to which it has been set.

2. An adjustable wrench, comprising in combination, a fixed jaw member having a handle rigid therewith, an adjustable jaw member having a shank endwise movable in a slot formed for it in the rigid member, the edge of which shank further from the jaws has ratchet teeth, the shoulders of which oppose movement of the jaws apart, a pawl adapted to engage the teeth of the jaw shank, a lever pin-connected to the pawl and adjacent such connection pivotally connected to the rigid jaw member, said lever adapted to hold the pawl teeth clear of engagement-with the teeth of the jaw stem when in the open position and in engagement with said teeth when moved against the fixed handle.

3. An adjustable wrench, comprising in combination afixed jaw member having handle member rigid therewith, an adjustable jaw member opposed to'the fixed jaw and having a shank endwise movable in a slot formed for it in the rigid member, the outer edge of which shank has ratchet teeth the shoulders of which oppose movement apart, a pawl having ratchet teeth corresponding to those of the jaw shank, said pawl being endwise movable in a pocket the back of which is inclined toward the ratchet edge of the jaw shank to bring the teeth of the pawl into engagement with the teeth of the shank at one end of its movement and free from such engagement at the other end of its movement, and a lever pin-connected to the pawl and pivotally connected to the rigid handle member, said lever adapted to close against the handle member in which movement the pawl is moved to the position of engagement with the shank of the movable j aw,

a. An adjustable wrench, comprising'in combination, a fixed jaw member having a handle rigid therewith, an adjustable jaw member having a shank endwise movable in a, slot formed for it in the rigid member the edge of which shank further from the jaw has ratchet teeth the shoulders of which oppose movement of the jaws apart, a pawl adapted to engage the teeth of the j aw shank, said pawl movablein' a pocket formed for it in the shank slot, the backot said pocket being tapered toward the slot and provided with a projection toward theshank adapted to force the lower end of the pawl first into the engagement with the teeth of the jaw stem when the pawl is moved downward, and a grip lever pivoted to the handle and pinconnected to the pawl to move it in and out of operative engagement with the stem.

5. An adjustable wrench, comprising in combination, a fixed jaw member having a handle rigid there-with, said fixed member having a slot adapted to receive the shank of a movable jaw member and the back of said slot having a pocket adapted to receive a locking pawl and permit endwise movement of the pawl toward the shank, a movable jaw member having a shank adapted to fit the slot of the rigid member the back edge of said shank having ratchet teeth the shoulders or" which are adapted to oppose movement of the jaws apart, a pawl having teeth corresponding to those of "the jaw shank and adapted to fit the pocket provided for it, a lever one end of which is pinconnected to one end of the pawl and pivotally mounted adjacent the pawl connection to the rigid jaw handle said lever'being produced to form a handle grip which while away from the handle holds the pawl teeth withdrawn from engagement with those of the jaw stem, and in engagement therewith when moved toward the handle. j

6.. An adjustable wrench, comprising in combination, a fixed jaw member having a handle rigid therewith, an adjustable jaw member having a shank endwise movable in a slot of the fixed member the back edge of which shank is provided with ratchet teeth, a pawl having teeth corresponding to those of the jaw stem, said pawl movable in a pocket provided for it off the stem slot, a lever having a bifurcated end which adjacent the end is pivotally mounted to the fixed member, and a pin passing through arcuate slots provided in the fixed jaw handle and through the upper end of the pawl whereby movement of the lever toward the handle will move the pawl from the position where its teeth are free of engagement with those of the stem to the position where they are in operative engagement therewith.

7. An adjustable wrench, comprising in combination, a fixed jaw member havin a handle rigid therewith, an adjustable aw member having a shank endwise movable in a slot of the fixed member the back edge of which shank is provided with ratchet teeth, a pawl having teeth corresponding to those of the jaw stem, said pawl movable in a pocket provided for it 01? the stem slot, a lever having a bifurcated end which adj acent the end is pivotally mounted to the fixed handle member, a pin passing through arcuate slots provided in the fixed jaw handle and through the upper end of the pawl whereby movement of the lever toward the handle will move the pawl from the position where its teeth are free of engagement with those of the stem to the position where they are in operative engagement therewith, and a spring holding the lever in the disengaged position.

8. An adjustable wrench, comprising in combination, a fixed jaw member having a handle rigid therewith, an adjustable jaw member having a shank endwise movable in a slot formed for it in the rigid member, the edge of which shank further from the jaws has ratchet teeth, the shoulders of which oppose movement of the jaws-apart, a pawl adapted to engage the teeth of the jaw shank, a lever pin-connected to the pawl and adjacent such connection pivotally connected to the rigid jaw member, said lever adapted to hold the pawl teeth clear of engagement with the teeth of the jaw shank when in the open position and in engagement with said teeth when moved against the fixed handle, said fixed jaw having a pocket for said pawl, which pocket is provided with a surface to be engaged by said pawl as the lever is moved in one direction to move the said pawl clear of said shank, and having a protuberance to advance said pawl to engage with said shank as said lever is moved in the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

. ARTHUR McDONALD. 

